This invention relates to the early detection of infectious mononucleosis and more particularly, to a method of early detection based on the analysis of a blood sample to determine the presence of a particular protein or combination of proteins identifiable by isoelectric banding and molecular mass within specific ranges as an indicator of the presence of infectious mononucleosis.
Infectious mononucleosis is an acute self-limited infectious disease of the reticuloendothelial system, primarily involving the lymphatic tissues. The infection is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus and is characterized by the formation of atypical lymphocytes, which have the the appearance of blast cells. These lymphocytes are not specific for infectious mononucleosis and occasionally are confused with lymphoblasts of acute lymphocytic leukemia.
One of the main reasons for clinical interest in the diagnosis of infectious mononucleosis is that it imitates many diseases, some of them more serious, some requiring surgical intervention, and some with serious prognostic implications. In the past, a common detection method has been identified as the MONOSPOT (a trademark of Ortho Diagnostics of Rairton, N.J.) test which utilizes a differential absorption of the patient's serum or plasma to distinguish the specific heterophile antibody against the E-B virus from other heterophile antibodies. However, this method is not always sensitive to the disease at an early stage and does not provide results to distinguish between infectious mononucleosis and certain other diseases such as acute lymphocytic leukemia. If infectious mononucleosis could be detected at an earlier stage, the recovery period for a patient might be significantly reduced. In addition, a detection method which distinguishes between mononucleosis and lymphocytic leukemia could enable physicians to start an effective treatment for the particular disease at an earlier stage.
One object of the invention is a method of detecting mononucleosis at an early stage. A second object is a method of detecting infectious mononucleosis by a relatively simple sampling technique. Another object of the invention is a method for early detection of infectious mononucleosis which has a relatively high degree of reliability. A further object is a method of detecting infectious mononucleosis which may be used for screening patients. Yet another object of the invention is a method of detecting infectious mononucleosis which could also be used for distinquishing it from other abnormalities including lymphocytic leukemia. These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following des- cription.